Robert Carr, Baron Carr of Hadley

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Leonard Robert Carr, Baron Carr of Hadley , PC (born November 11, 1916 in London - † February 17, 2012 in Hertfordshire ) was a British politician ( Conservative Party ) and businessman .

life and career

Carr was born on November 11, 1916 to Ralph and Katie Carr. He attended Westminster School in London and schools at Potters Bar and Norman Court . He studied natural sciences, law and economics ( Economics ) at Gonville and Caius College of the University of Cambridge and graduated in 1938 with a Master of Arts from. His professional goal at that time was to become tennis champion. He usually used his middle name Robert.

He first worked for John Dale Ltd , an aluminum casting company that was founded by his great-grandfather but was no longer family-owned. There he started as a foundry overseer . Due to a lung disease, he was not used for military service and worked in aircraft production. He was a member of the British Intelligence Objectives Subcommittee that examined German light metal foundries after VE Day . Carr became Dale's chief metallurgist and was director of research and development from 1948 to 1955.

1958 returned Carr as part-time chairman to Dale and stepped to the Supervisory Board ( Board a). The following year, Dale was acquired by Metal Closures for £ 3.1 million. In 1960, he became deputy chairman there ( Deputy Chairman ) and one of several managers. There he worked in various functions until 1970.

Carr was a member of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club . He was a referee at the annual tournaments at Wimbledon . In the final of the men's doubles in 1949, he took over the chairmanship, as well as the men's singles in 1950 and 1953 in the mixed doubles.

He was chairman of the Barnet Young Conservatives . Together with Edward Heath , Enoch Powell and Angus Maude he formed the One Nation group . They came into the public eye with a pamphlet recommending changes in the National Health Service (NHS). Carr wrote Change is Our Ally for the group in 1954 , which showed a foundation of economic relationships.

Membership in the House of Commons

It was in 1950 for the constituency of Mitcham to the House of Commons voted and represented this there until 1974, has been summarized as the constituency and he for constituency Carshalton (suburb of London and part of the London Borough of Sutton moved).

In the early 1950s, at the time of his candidacy for the Mitcham constituency, he first came into contact with the later British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher . Thatcher had failed then to be re- elected for Dartford constituency . In her memoir, Thatcher described him as reticent and a loner. These early encounters later overshadowed the further political relationship between Carr and Thatcher.

He spoke in the House of Commons on scientific and economic topics. He was a member of the Conservative Backbench Trade and Industry Committee , served on the board of the 1922 Committee and chaired a Select Committee that recommended Stansted as London's third airport. He later revised this view.

From 1951 to 1955 he was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden . He continued to hold office for Eden in 1955 when he became Prime Minister. From 1955 to 1958 Carr was State Secretary ( Parliamentary Secretary ) to the Minister of Labor Iain Macleod .

He was Secretary of Technical Co-operation from 1963 to 1964 , without any cabinet rank. When the Labor Party came to power in 1964, Carr returned to Metal Closures , Carr returned as Executive Deputy Chairman and resumed other positions as director. In Edward Heath's cabinet , he was Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity from 1970 to 1972 and was responsible for the Industrial Relations Act 1971 . This provided for the introduction of wage compensation payments for unfair dismissals, but was associated with restrictions on the right to strike and the virtual abolition of company agreements . Carr wanted a simple law that was easy to understand and accepted by the unions. The act resulted in the largest nationwide trade union demonstration, led by the Trades Union Congress , since World War II . In June 1972, port workers from the Transport and General Workers' Union who violated the law were sentenced to prison terms but were released to prevent worse consequences.

In 1971, shortly after the law was published, he escaped an attack when the anarchist group Angry Brigade detonated two bombs in front of his home. More than thirty years later, he received a public apology and a Christmas card from a member of that group.

In the Ministry of Labor, he was mainly concerned with training young workers. He also abolished the Prices and Incomes Board and replaced it in part with review boards. When the number of unemployed exceeded 800,000, he considered a basic state salary.

In 1972 he was briefly Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council until the election of a successor and was then appointed Minister of the Interior after the resignation of Reginald Maudling . Carr stayed in office until 1974.

He prepared laws to put Europeans above Commonwealth citizens in migration law when Britain was preparing to join the EC . This led to resistance from backbenchers, which resulted in a change. When Idi Amin expelled Asians from Uganda with British passports , he campaigned for them to find accommodation in the UK. At a party congress in 1972 he fended off criticism of this policy by Enoch Powell. After the IRA attacks in March 1973, he dealt with the threat posed by the IRA. He formed a special police force and launched a national security plan.

In government, Heath relied heavily on Ministers Peter Carrington , William Whitelaw , James Prior and Carr.

During his tenure, Carr increased the pay of police officers to make the profession more interesting to potential applicants, expanded the prison construction program, changed the law to suspended sentences, recruited more probation officers and law enforcement officers, and stipulated that violations of prison inmates should be punished more severely should be, for example by the exclusion of early release. He refused to reinstate the death penalty . He believed that life sentences should really be life in the worst cases. He abolished the traditional prison term of feeding on bread and water and allowed relatives to visit more frequently.

His term ended with the British general election in February 1974 . In opposition , he was Chancellor of the Exchequer of the shadow cabinet ( Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer ). Heath made Margaret Thatcher Carr's deputy. After the renewed defeat in the October 1974 general election, there was a power struggle in the party leadership. Carr was considered a possible candidate, but many believed the Industrial Relations Act contributed to the election defeat. In January 1975, Heath called for a poll on the leadership of the party. Carr supported Heath against Thatcher on the question of party leadership. Heath was finally defeated by Thatcher in a voting on February 11, 1975. Previously, Carr had temporarily taken over the party chairmanship from Edward Heath for a week.

Carr founded the left-wing Tory Reform Group (TRG) and Conservative Action for Electoral Reform (CAER).

Membership in the House of Lords

Carr was named Life Peer as Baron Carr of Hadley, of Monken Hadley in the County of Greater London on January 15, 1976 . He made his inaugural address at the House of Lords on March 24, 1976.

In the House of Lords he became the spokesman for home affairs and economics. Otherwise, he mainly focused on his business activities.

Carr was one of three previous ministers to vote against the poll tax . Together with Whitelaw, he rejected reforms that, in his opinion, would jeopardize the political independence of the police. He criticized Home Secretary Michael Howard's criminal legislation ; this intended to send 12 to 14 year old juvenile offenders to completed training camps. Carr described this as "tasteless". In 1995 he urged MPs to ignore Eurosceptics in the election of party leader and to re- elect John Major .

He spoke for the last time on March 27, 2002. He last took part in a vote on March 15, 2005.

In the period from 2001 onwards, Carr's presence on meeting days was, probably also due to age, in a low range and continued to decline. He was no longer present after the 2006/2007 session.

Other offices

From 1974 to 1986 he was director of SGB ​​plc and from 1974 to 1985 at Securicor . In the Prudential Assurance he was director from 1976 to 1985 (and from 1980 to 1985 Chairman [ Chairman ]), and from 1978 to 1989 at the Prudential Corporation . After relinquishing the chairmanship of Prudential Corporation in 1989 , he assumed the position of Non-Executive Chairman of LEK Partnership Strategy Ventures . This was a company that was founded in order to be able to use stakes in a management buyout . He held this office until 1995.

In 1977 he became a member of the Political Honors Scrutiny Committee . The following year he chaired a committee of the Arts Council of Great Britain , which coordinated the tours of opera companies; he was personally interested in the opera . From 1979 to 1987 he was a director of Cadbury plc .

He was a member of the Council of the Confederation of British Industry from 1976 to 1987. There he was chairman of committees on education and training. He also led a working group that encouraged companies to help employees run for parliament. By chairing the Special Programs Unit of CBI , he came to lead Business in the Community . These organizations merged in 1984. At Business in the Community , he was 1984-1997 Chairman ( Chairman ).

From 1985 to 1986 he was president of the Surrey County Cricket Club , to which he was a member for 30 years.

Honors

Carr became a Fellow of the Institute of Materials (FIM) in 1957 . In 1985 he became a Fellow of Imperial College , where he was a member of the Board of Directors.

In 1963 he became a member of the Privy Council .

family

Carr married Joan Kathleen Twining, daughter of EW Twining, in 1943. The marriage had three children, a son and two daughters. The son died in a traffic accident in 1965.

He lived in London (as of 2003). Carr died on February 17, 2012 at the age of 95.

Publications

  • One Nation A Tory Approach to Social Problems by a Group of MPs , Conservative Political Center, 1950, ISBN unknown (with Edward Heath , Enoch Powell and Iain Macleod )
  • Change is Our Ally , publisher unknown, 1954, ISBN unknown (with Enoch Powell and Angus Maude )
  • The Responsible Society , publisher unknown, 1958, ISBN unknown
  • One Europe , publisher unknown, 1965, ISBN unknown
  • Fair Deal at Work , Conservative Political Center, 1968, ISBN 978-0-85070-400-6 (with Stephen Abbott )

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h Obituary: Lord Carr, moderate Conservative who tried to limit the power of the unions in the 1970s Obituary by Scotsman dated February 21, 2012
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Lord Carr of Hadley Telegraph obituary dated February 19, 2012
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Leonard Robert Carr, Baron Carr of Hadley on thepeerage.com , accessed August 17, 2015.
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Lord Carr of Hadley obituary Obituary Obituary of the Guardian dated February 23, 2012
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g Lord Carr of Hadley: Highly regarded Conservative minister whose Industrial Relations Act provoked bitter controversy Obituary of the Independent dated February 21, 2012
  6. ↑ a b c Tribute paid to Lords Carr and Corbett obituary on BBC News, February 20, 2012
  7. ↑ House of Lords: Members 'expenses Members' expenses on the House of Lords website , accessed February 21, 2012
personal data
SURNAME Carr, Robert, Baron Carr of Hadley
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Carr, Leonard Robert, Baron Carr of Hadley (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British Conservative Party politician, Member of the House of Commons
DATE OF BIRTH November 11, 1916
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH 17th February 2012
Place of death Hertfordshire